In The Garden Now….. Arnold Promise Witch Hazel

‘Arnold Promise’ Witch Hazel Shrub

Text and photo by Victoria Gilleland

I’m always startled in mid-winter when my Witch Hazel bursts into bloom with fragrant yellow flowers. Those spidery flowers have a surreal quality. Could this exotic looking plant really be so easy to grow and produce such unique showy flowers when so little else is in bloom? No doubt about it!

There are other varieties of witch hazel available but ‘Arnold Promise’ is my favorite because of its brilliant lemon yellow flowers that light the winter landscape. The orange or red flowers of some witch hazel varieties don’t show up nearly so well against winter’s earthy browns and grays. On warmer winter days the spicy scent of the flowers is particularly heady. If you add one of these beauties to your garden be sure and plant it where it can be seen and the scent enjoyed by passersby during the winter bloom time.

Large oval coarsely pleated leaves cover the plant come spring. If you grow this plant in full sun you’ll reap the bonus of gorgeous yellow, orange and red fall foliage. In the shade leaves tend to produce less color although weather conditions affect color in the end. As winter begins witch hazel plants sometimes hold on to a few of their brown drooping leaves after the majority of leaves have dropped. It’s worth bundling up and going outside to remove these “hangers on” by hand so that the winter flowers can be seen and enjoyed completely.

You need to be patient as this slow growing vase shaped shrub becomes established. There will be few flowers at first but more flowers will appear on its branches each winter. Expect this flowering shrub to grow to 12 to 15 feet high and wide depending on light and location in the garden. In sun the plant will be more compact. In shade it will tend to be looser and more open in its growth pattern as it reaches for the sun. Though this plant is wide spreading, the branching pattern tends to be fairly open so it’s possible to grow an interesting variety of plants beneath them.

Witch Hazels are usually grafted to a root stalk. Watch for any growth originating below the bulge that is the graft at the base of the plant. Anything sprouting from below the graft is not the named variety you purchased and may actually become dominant on the plant and replace the desired plant with its growth. So cut out any sprouts you see!

Witch hazel provides a wonderful shot of color as well as unexpected fragrance in the winter garden. Watch for this terrific plant on your next stroll through the neighborhood or pick one out for your garden.

(Botanical Name: Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Arnold Promise’)

Victoria Gilleland is the owner of Cottage Garden Designs, a Garden Design company specializing in Redesign of Residential Gardens, Garden Consultation and Coaching. She has been designing gardens in the northwest for over 20 years.